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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29654664">King's Corner</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixreal/pseuds/phoenixreal'>phoenixreal</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bleach</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arrancar Kurosaki Ichigo, Canon-Typical Violence, Humanity, M/M, Multi, Rape, Rape Recovery, Rough Sex, Stockholm Syndrome</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:54:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>19,483</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29654664</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixreal/pseuds/phoenixreal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Canon Divergent. Karin Kurosaki is the substitute Shinigami and has taken on Soul Society to save her friend Rukia already. In doing so, she's been drawn into the war between Soul Society and Sousuke Aizen. Then, over Karakura Town, an Arrancar appears that shocks her.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aizen Sousuke/Kurosaki Ichigo, Grimmjow Jaegerjaques/Kurosaki Ichigo, Kurosaki Ichigo/Coyote Starrk, Nnoitra Gilga/Kurosaki Ichigo, Ulquiorra Cifer/Kurosaki Ichigo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>72</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>126</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. In Karakura Town</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For my good friend Barks. I hope he enjoys the </p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><hr/><p>
  
</p><p>Art by AppleCiderr</p><p>Tumblr Link: <a href="https://appleciderr.tumblr.com/">https://appleciderr.tumblr.com/</a></p><p></p><div>
  <p>Insta Link: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/appleciderrart/">https://www.instagram.com/appleciderrart/</a></p>
</div><hr/><p>Ichigo stood in the air over Karakura Town. His mission was to feel out the place and determine if it was going to be well-defended after his master, Aizen-sama, had defected from Soul Society. He looked behind him and was proud because this was only the second mission he’d taken on his own for Aizen-sama. The first one he had failed and paid the price for that already. Now, he couldn’t fail again. This would be easy. He went to the ground and looked around for the strongest reiatsu signatures he could find. He had to find out what people defended this place and return to Las Noches as quickly as possible.</p><p>He definitely didn’t look like he belonged in the World of the Living, so he was sure he’d get noticed. He was wearing a long white coat with black trim that looked similar to a typical kusodo, overlapping in the front and tied with a black obi. It had long, fitted sleeves that came down to his wrists. His hakama were white and he wore a pair of geta with it. His tabi were black and disappeared under his hakama. His hair was bright orange-red in color, somewhat long and falling into his face on one side. There were several longer braids in it surrounding his face. On his face, on the left side, were red marks over his left eye and under it, as well as a few coming down from his mouth to his chin and jaw.</p><p>He took off the reiatsu hiding cloak and waited.</p><p>“Stop!” he heard a few minutes and turned around to see two female Shinigami.</p><p>The one was shorter and had vibrant, purple-colored eyes and dark hair. The taller Shinigami was a younger looking girl, with dark hair and pair of dark gray eyes.</p><p>“Who are you and what are you doing here?” asked the taller Shinigami. She was looking at him strangely, though, as though she were very surprised by him being there. He supposed they should be. Aizen-sama hadn’t sent anyone else for a little bit since he defected to Hueco Mundo.</p><p>“He’s an Arrancar,” the one with purple eyes said. “But something’s off about him. I don’t see a hollow hole.”</p><p>“He could be hiding it,” the first one said.</p><p>“Excuse me, but I’d rather you not talk about me like I’m not here,” Ichigo sighed. He waved at them. “Who are you anyway? Do you protect this town or something?”</p><p>“What does it matter to you?” the Shinigami asked.</p><p>“Well, it would make my job a lot easier if you would just <em>give </em>me the information I came after, then I can go back to Las Noches and leave you alone.” He shrugged. “But up to you!”</p><p>“We’re not giving you anything,” the shorter one said. “I’m Rukia Kuchiki and this is Karin Kurosaki. And yes, we defend Karakura Town.”</p><p>“Well, that’s helpful. Well, I guess I’ll tell you something in exchange. No, I don’t have a hollow hole. I’m special like that.” Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest and grinned. “But how powerful are you anyway?”</p><p>“Want to find out?” Karin asked, picking up the sword from her back. It was larger than a katana but was nearly black in color with a cloth wrapped handle.</p><p>Ichigo grinned, pulling his sword and immediately finding it blocked by her weapon. The short one, Rukia, held up her hands as though about to cast a spell of some sort. Karin, though, something felt different about her. And familiar, which was strange to Ichigo. He’d never been here before. But her reiatsu was significant enough. Rukia’s reiatsu was decent.</p><p>“Huh, well, I wasn’t instructed to get in a fight with anyone, so that’s okay,” he said, stepping back and sheathing his sword at his side, which, like the one Karin wielded, was black in color.</p><p>“Instructed? By Aizen?” Rukia asked, frowning.</p><p>“Well, of course, who else?” Ichigo said, waving a dismissive hand at them. “I have to go back now; it was fun playing with you. Hopefully, we meet again!” he said, turning and walking away.</p><p>“Wait a minute!” Karin snapped. “You can’t just walk into Karakura Town anytime you want like this!”</p><p>Ichigo turned back, narrowing his brown eyes at her. “Really, now, and who is going to stop me, little girl? You?”</p><p>Karin’s eye twitched. “Why you…”</p><p>Rukia put a hand out to stop her from moving forward. “You’re not like the other Arrancar, are you? What makes you different?” Rukia asked.</p><p>Ichigo turned back around and shoved his hands in the pockets of his white hakama. “Well, I don’t know. I’ve always been like this, since I was a kid.”</p><p>Rukia frowned. “A kid?”</p><p>Karin looked at her and shook her head. “What’s the big deal with that?”</p><p>“They aren’t humans. They don’t grow up like you do. They are created when they evolve from hollows. How were you a kid? There’s no way you grew as an Arrancar,” Rukia asked.</p><p>Ichigo looked at her and then glanced at Karin. “Um, I just was. I was always different. I never had a hollow hole, never had a mask.” He shrugged. “Ever since I was young.”</p><p>Ichigo had no idea why he was even telling them this. It wasn’t like they mattered. All that mattered was completing the mission that he’d been assigned my Aizen-sama. And he’d done that. He was curious now, though, because he was different, and everyone just went with it. No one ever mentioned it, and no one talked about it, but he did notice it.</p><p>“Well, was lovely talking to you, but I believe I’ll go now,” he said, taking off in a sonido.</p><p>When he’d gotten far enough from them, he opened a garganta and slipped back to Hueco Mundo. He’d done it this time, and he wouldn’t be punished. He got back to Las Noches and headed to Aizen’s chambers. He’d found out what he went there for. He didn’t know why he had been sent on such a simple mission, but he guessed it probably had something to do with the fact he failed to do his last mission successfully.</p><p>“Aizen-sama?” he called out.</p><p>“Ichigo-kun, you’ve returned. Successful, I hope?” he smiled and walked from the back of the room.</p><p>“Yeah, I only met two Shinigami that were of moderate power. It was just them, though,” he said, shrugging. “No one else came, and I wasn’t hiding my reiatsu.”</p><p>Aizen looked at him. “Interesting. I would have thought your presence would have drawn Urahara out. Or perhaps it did, and you didn’t sense him. Who did you meet?”</p><p>“One of the Shinigami was Rukia Kuchiki and the other was named Karin Kurosaki.”</p><p>Aizen nodded. “Very good. You may go,” he said, waving him away.</p><p>Ichigo nodded, turning and going back out. He’d done a good job this time. He wouldn’t have to spend time in the dungeon because he succeeded. He smiled despite himself. He was very happy, and now he could go see some of the Espada again.</p><p>Ichigo wasn’t an Espada. At least, not like Starrk, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, and the others. Aizen-sama didn’t call him one, but instead told him he was his “protégé”. Ichigo wasn’t sure what exactly that meant, but he got to do whatever he wanted most the time. Ichigo had lived in Las Noches as long as he could remember, ever since he was barely able to walk, from what the others said.</p><p>Growing up in Las Noches had been something Ichigo never thought twice about. He’d always been around the Espada, and Aizen-sama had always been there, if a little rough with him from time to time. He supposed he deserved it, though, as a child he was strong willed and wanted to do things his way instead of the way Aizen-sama wanted them done. So, as a kid he’d spent most his time bruised and banged up in some way, either from being punished or just from sparring with the other Arrancar. Of course, the first thing he learned was not to cry. Even still, crying was a quick way to be punished and not acceptable at all.</p><p>He had learned from the beginning what it was like to be violent and to use violence as a solution to problems, though there was a part of him that yearned for a different way. Even his simplest interactions seemed to have some sort of violent nature to them. He didn’t mind, though. It was just the way of things in Las Noches. The world of Hueco Mundo was a place where only the strong survived and thrived, and he wanted to survive.</p><p>He came to his room and knew someone was already there. He wondered who it was this time. He opened the door carefully and looked inside. Immediately, his hair was grabbed, and he was yanked into the room forcefully. He stumbled, falling to the ground and shaking his head a bit. He heard a growl and looked over to see it was the sixth Espada, Grimmjow.</p><p>“Hey, I just got back!” he said as Grimmjow came at him, grabbing him by the arm.</p><p>“Yeah, and I was waiting too long, so yer gonna pay for that,” Grimmjow said and pulled him to his feet.</p><p>Ichigo grumbled a bit but went along with him as he was tossed unceremoniously to the bed. Grimmjow was already untying his obi and Ichigo flushed. He was in a mood today, that was for sure. He tried to roll to his back, but Grimmjow was already on him, pressing him down into the bed and hand slipping down the back of his hakama.</p><p>“Can’t you wait until I’m undressed!” Ichigo said, feeling his fingers sliding into him without warning.</p><p>“Fuck you, no.”</p><p>Ichigo sighed, trying to relax as he roughly fingered him, easily slipping into the role he always took with certain Espada. He pulled is fingers out after a few minutes and ripped the obi off and slipped his hakama over his hips. Ichigo jerked as he pulled back and slapped his ass hard, but he couldn’t help the shock it sent to his own cock which was quickly coming to life. He slapped him a few more times, and Ichigo knew he must be leaving red marks at least, maybe even bruises because he wasn’t holding back at all. He never did.</p><p>Grimmjow had been his first in a lot of things. He had been his first sparring partner as a kid. He’d been the first one to summarily beat him at swordplay. And he’d been the first Espada that Ichigo ended up getting with sexually when he was about fifteen. For this reason, there was a special connection between them, and though Ichigo had no concept of romantic things, he held Grimmjow in a particular place in his heart.</p><p>Of course, that was the last thing he was thinking of, bent over his bed, ass burning hot, and cock throbbing in anticipation. Grimmjow pushed his legs open and slipped between them, rubbing insistently with his rather large cock (it was not the largest of the Espada, but it was close. Ulquiorra had Grimmjow beat by a little. Not much though).</p><p>“You fuckin’ succeed this time, little bitch?” Grimmjow growled.</p><p>“I did what Aizen-sama told me to do!” Ichigo responded, pushing back on him and wishing he’d just fuck him already.</p><p>“Good fuckin’ job, then,” Grimmjow growled and slammed himself forward.</p><p>“Ah, my gods,” Ichigo gasped, feeling him spread him open and fill him all in one fell swoop.</p><p>“About goddamn time you succeed at something, fuckin’ protégé and shit. I can’t believe you failed the last time, but I guess you made up for it this time,” Grimmjow continued as he thrusted forward and pulled back slowly.</p><p>Ichigo nodded, burying his face in the bedding until Grimmjow grabbed his hair again, pulling him up and back so he could get to his throat. Ichigo swallowed hard as he fucked him while he bit and sucked at the side of his neck. This was another reason Ichigo was typically bruised these days. None of his Espada partners were shy about marking him, and on more than one occasion, had competed with each other to see who could leave the most marks or the worst ones. Ichigo didn’t mind, though. He enjoyed their attention.</p><p>“Fuck, Grimmjow, what got you going today?” Ichigo gasped, feeling his teeth scrape against him.</p><p>“Nothing, just wanted to fuck you like the small dicked bitch you are,” he said, reaching down with his free hand to stroke Ichigo’s significantly smaller arousal.</p><p>He let go of his hair to grab his hips and kept going, sliding faster and faster, obviously seeking his own satisfaction, but at least giving Ichigo a chance to maybe come if he was lucky. Sometimes, Ichigo wasn’t very lucky.</p><p>Even though it was rough, fast, and hard, Ichigo loved every moment of it. Even the frustration when they wouldn’t let him orgasm. There was something significant about that moment of denial, and though he’d never tell them, he adored those moments of pure pain and pleasure wrapped up in one. Not that he couldn’t finish himself off, he was entirely capable of that, but he wouldn’t. And they all knew it.</p><p>“Alright, bitch, think you can come, or are you going to have to wait again?” Grimmjow growled. “Because I’m fucking gonna bust a nut soon, and I’m not finishing your ass off.”</p><p>“I can! Just a little more…” Ichigo begged, really wanting to get finished right then.</p><p>“Then fuckin’ come!” Grimmjow demanded.</p><p>Ichigo didn’t have to hear it twice. Just the demand was enough to pull him over the edge, but Grimmjow was still stroking him, too, so that helped. He moaned out, letting go and coming harder than he expected. Grimmjow waited just a moment, then slammed forward hard a few times, then released, his cock throbbing and filling Ichigo with his essence.</p><p>Ichigo winced as he pulled out, doing up his pants and slapping him on the ass again. “There’s a good little bitch.”</p><p>Ichigo turned over, the bed under him wet again. He looked at Grimmjow and smiled. “I needed that.”</p><p>“Yeah, bet you did. Clean yerself up and come down to the commons. The others will wanna hear about your mission.”</p><p>Grimmjow turned and left, leaving Ichigo disheveled and thoroughly fucked out for a moment. He sighed, though, getting up and pulling the sheets off the bed so he could change them. He cleaned himself up with the dirty sheets and then set them aside. He’d have to clean them later, but for now, Grimmjow wanted him to come to the commons, and he couldn’t make him wait too long.</p><p>-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-</p><p>“I have to show you something,” Karin said, pulling Rukia with her back toward her house once they’d gotten Rukia’s Gigai and Karin’s body.</p><p>“What’s so important?” Rukia asked.</p><p>“It’s time you met our brother,” Karin said and led her into the house.</p><p>“Brother?” Rukia frowned as she followed her into the house and to the clinic. “Since when do you have a brother? I thought it was just you and your twin sister?”</p><p>They came to a room off to the side of the clinic and Karin opened the door. Inside, it looked almost like a fully functional hospital room. There was a dark-haired woman sitting in a recliner reading a book and a bed with someone in it. The woman looked up as they entered.</p><p>“Oh, Karin, didn’t expect you today,” she smiled gently. Rukia could see that she was in a set of nurse’s scrubs.</p><p>“Hey, Tomoko, how are things today?” Karin asked.</p><p>Tomoko shrugged. “Same as always. Except earlier today the strangest thing happened. His heart rate increased for a while, then settled back down.” She shrugged. “He’s been changed and fed recently, so he should be comfortable.”</p><p>“Alright, you can take a break. I want to spend some time with him and let him meet my friend here,” Karin nodded.</p><p>“Alright, I’ll go get a drink in the kitchen. I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes,” Tomoko said and left the room.</p><p>Rukia had no idea what was happening. She followed Karin over to the bed and blinked. Karin turned to her and nodded. “This is Ichigo. Our older brother.”</p><p>The young man in the bed looked like any other person would, only asleep. He was tall with bright orange-red hair close cropped around his head. His eyes were closed, and motionless, but there was the steady rise and fall of his chest. Beside him, a heart monitor showed his pulse and heartrate. Rukia had no idea what normal would be, but it looked that way to her. She frowned, though.</p><p>“What happened to him?” she asked.</p><p>“Before we were born, he went to sleep and never woke up. My mother was pregnant with us already when it happened, so he would have been about three or so. Just one night, they put him to bed, and the next day, he wouldn’t open his eyes or respond in the least. They took him to the doctor, and no one could figure out what was wrong. His body is perfectly healthy, surprisingly so considering that he doesn’t move on his own. Even after all this time, his muscles haven’t atrophied, and though we do exercise him daily, it seems that he shouldn’t have grown the way he did.” Karin picked up his hand and held it. “Nothing ever changes. He never moves. His heartrate never increases. He just lays here. At least, until today.”</p><p>Rukia looked at the unconscious figure and then looked back at Karin. “Karin, this body has no soul.”</p><p>Karin glanced at her brother, then looked at Rukia. “What do you mean?”</p><p>“There is no soul here. The Soul Chain has been cut,” she said, gesturing to him. “I can see that much.”</p><p>“Then how does he live? Explain that! When I leave my body, it’s like a dead thing. This is different, so why?”</p><p>Rukia had no idea. She shook her head and walked around the other side, taking his other hand. “It’s empty, completely empty, but…”</p><p>“He looks like that Arrancar we saw today,” Karin pointed out.</p><p>Rukia nodded. Were the hair a bit longer and the markings added to his face, this person would have looked identical to the Arrancar that they had seen that day. His facial features, his build, his height, everything would have been the same. So, what did that mean?</p><p>“A body with a Soul Chain severed. An Arrancar without a hollow hole or a mask fragment. Aizen’s defection. The hogyuku. Could this have been Aizen’s meddling, too?” Rukia mused out loud.</p><p>Karin looked pained. “Does that mean that Arrancar was Ichigo?”</p><p>“It could have been his soul transformed. We know the hogyuku can do amazing things, like the Vizard and the experiments that Aizen conducted. Why couldn’t he do something as simple as stealing a single human soul?” she asked, reaching out and brushing back Ichigo’s hair.</p><p>“We need to talk to Urahara,” Karin said. “He knows more about the hogyuku than most people, right?”</p><p>“He certainly seems to,” Rukia said, looking at her. “Maybe he’d be able to tell us if this is possible.”</p><p>There was a knock at the door and Tomoko came back in. “Thanks, Karin. I needed a little break.”</p><p>“No problem, Tomoko. We’ll be going now,” she said and took Rukia by the hand to lead her back out of the room.</p><p>“Let’s see what Urahara has to say.” Rukia led the way back to the shoten, determined to get an answer out of the shopkeeper that was more than he appeared to be.</p><p>A few minutes later, they sat across from him in the shop, explaining what had happened, and what they had put together. Urahara, as usual, was inscrutable, and they weren’t sure what the man in the striped hat was thinking at all. He nodded when they were done, looking thoughtful.</p><p>“Well, is it possible?” Karin asked.</p><p>Urahara looked over her head suddenly and sighed. “We should tell them,” he said to someone else.</p><p>Karin and Rukia turned around to Isshin Kurosaki, Karin’s father, standing in the doorway.</p><p>“So, it would seem,” Isshin sighed, coming into the room.</p><p>“Pop?” Karin frowned. “You know Urahara?”</p><p>Isshin sat down beside her and nodded. “There’s some things you don’t know yet. The first of which is I’m a Shinigami, or I used to be before my powers were sealed over twenty years ago.”</p><p>Karin’s eyes widened and Rukia didn’t know how to react to that. “You’re a what?” Karin managed.</p><p>“I’ve known about what’s gone on since the first night when the hollow attacked and Rukia gave you her power. I directed Kisuke to help you as best he could since I could not. My powers have been unsealed, and I’m able to use them again, but it is most important that you know that I was a captain. Your Zanpakutō, Mingestu, is descended from mine, Engetsu. I know about your hollowification because I was there when your mother was infected by Aizen’s creation, White.” He looked at Karin. “She’s the reason I had my powers sealed and lived as a human. I fought the hollow without a hole, and I saved her from it.”</p><p>“A hollow without a hole? We met one today, one that looked just like Ichigo!” Karin said, gasping.</p><p>“I heard your story, and I’m afraid we were right, Kisuke. Aizen has been meddling in our lives from the beginning. I knew your brother’s Soul Chain was severed but could never figure out how it had happened. We didn’t know at the time that Aizen had created White, and I never put the pieces together.” Isshin swallowed hard. “And now he’s turned him into something else using his hogyuku, and now he has the other one. Who knows his plans with bother versions of the orb?”</p><p>“I am sure he plans to combine them, as both of the hogyuku were incomplete. What that means for us, I’m not sure,” Urahara said, looking thoughtful again.</p><p>“So, wait, you’re telling me, all this time, you knew about me and knew that Kon was in my body?” Karin said, suddenly realizing that fact.</p><p>“I knew. That’s why I gave you the protection sigils to keep. Your body needed protection while Kon as you call it, took over,” Isshin said with a shrug.</p><p>“Alright, that’s all well and good, but now what do we do? His reiatsu was completely hollow in nature. I could detect nothing else from him, but he said he grew up in Hueco Mundo. Is that the doing of the hogyuku?” Rukia asked, looking between Isshin and Urahara.</p><p>“I don’t know,” Isshin said. “He may not be able to be saved after Aizen has had him for the last sixteen years.”</p><p>“I still don’t understand how Aizen did all this right under Soul Society’s nose,” Karin groused.</p><p>“He was very good at deception,” Urahara said, sighing. “He fooled everyone many times over, including me.”</p><p>“Do we take this to the Sou Taichou?” Rukia asked.</p><p>“We must,” Urahara said, nodding. “I suggest you return and give a full report. I’ll talk to Hitsugaya and the others. No doubt they felt the Arrancar’s arrival this morning, but like me, chose not to reveal themselves.”</p><p>“Either way, we need to keep an eye on Ichigo’s body, just in case he chooses to return to it,” Isshin said slowly.</p><p>“Wait, are you suggesting that Ichigo could take back his body and interact with the World of the Living if he wanted to?” Karin frowned yet again.</p><p>“It’s like your body, or a Gigai,” Urahara explained. “He could easily take up residence in it once again. What good that would do, I don’t know, but it could cause havoc in the human world if he was to do so with the powers of an Arrancar.”</p><p>“So, what do we do?” Karin asked. “How do we find this Arrancar and figure out if it is Ichigo’s soul?”</p><p>“He’ll be back, don’t doubt that,” Urahara said. “Aizen will make sure of that. His presence will set everyone off center that knows the situation, and that’s what he wants. That’s why he sent him on a recon mission. He wasn’t here to get any information that Aizen doesn’t already know.”</p><p>“You mean, Aizen sent him just so we could see him?” Karin asked.</p><p>“Of course,” Isshin said, nodding. “The whole purpose to him coming was to do what it did. Give you hope that your brother was alive, and then he plans to make it so that you can’t save him. That’s why he did this.”</p><p>“We can save him. I know that.” Karin nodded, looking at Rukia. “We have to.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Kidnapping the Woman</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ichigo made his way to the common room where he found Ulquiorra, Nnoitra, Grimmjow, Starrk, Szayel, and Aaroniero had gathered. He didn’t know where the other Espada were, but he didn’t care. They’d hear an official report later. This was just for the Espada that were here. He was sure there would be an official meeting later on. He walked through the door and past Nnoitra who was sprawled on a chair. He gasped as Nnoitra grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back to him and pulled him onto his lap.</p><p>“There you are. Took you too long to get here,” Nnoitra said, licking a stripe up Ichigo’s neck.</p><p>Ichigo shivered a little and sighed. He supposed he should have expected something like this. Then, Nnoitra slipped a hand through the side of his hakama and under him, thrusting two fingers up into him without warning.</p><p>“Whoa, Grimmjow already fucked you?” Nnoitra snickered. “He was quick today.”</p><p>“I had a moment,” Grimmjow said dismissively.</p><p>Nnoitra twisted his fingers in him and began to rub insistently against his prostate. Ichigo let out a little moan as blood rushed to his cock.</p><p>“Now, what did Aizen have you do?” Nnoitra said into his ear. The others all just stared at him expectantly.</p><p>“Can you stop doing that so I can talk?” he asked.</p><p>“No, fucking tell it while I’ve got my fingers knuckle deep in your ass, bitch,” Nnoitra growled, rolling his fingers around and causing Ichigo to groan and shiver.</p><p>Ichigo swallowed hard. “Ah, okay. Aizen-sama had me go, um, oh… Go to the World of the Living to see who defended uh, Karakura…” He moaned a little again. “Karakura Town.”</p><p>“Then what happened?” Aaroniero asked, greatly amused by the scene in front of him as he grinned with his stolen face.</p><p>“Two Shinigami came out. Rukia Kuchiki and Karin Kurosaki. Um, oh…” Ichigo swallowed. “They were moderately powerful, but they could have been cloaking their reiatsu too. I don’t know anything else, that was all.”</p><p>He squirmed a little because Nnoitra’s fingers were deep, but then they were long. Nnoitra chuckled in his ear and the others started talking, but Ichigo couldn’t concentrate on that. Something about it being no surprise and that seemed to be what was expected there. Nnoitra didn’t give him a break, thrusting his fingers back and forth, then just lazily sliding them around and just brushing his prostate.</p><p>“Excuse me,” a new voice came from the doorway.</p><p>Everyone turned toward the door and there was one of the numerous other Arrancar that lived in Las Noches standing there.</p><p>“What is it?” Nnoitra snapped.</p><p>“Aizen-sama summons the Espada and Ichigo to a meeting,” he said, eyes barely stopping on the position Ichigo was in on Nnoitra’s lap. Of course, most the Arrancar were used to such displays around Las Noches.</p><p>“Alright, let’s go,” Grimmjow said, standing up.</p><p>“Aw, I wasn’t done playing,” Nnoitra complained, sliding his fingers out of Ichigo and wiping them on the inside of Ichigo’s hakama.</p><p>Ichigo, who was left half hard, got off his lap and sighed, straightening his clothes and schooling his cock. He had felt Nnoitra’s cock through his pants, so he knew he was in the same state, so at least he wasn’t alone in being aroused and interrupted. He got himself under control and followed the others to the meeting room where Aizen and the others had gathered.</p><p>As usual, Barragan gave him a look. He was sure the old Arrancar didn’t like him for some reason. He didn’t know why other than he wasn’t fucking him. He had no interest in Barragan that way, never had, and he knew it. Barragan had never said anything, but he had to wonder if that didn’t put some of the resentment between them. Or, of course, it could have just been that Ichigo always seemed to be Aizen’s favorite among the Espada, and it was bothering him. It was hard to tell with him.</p><p>Ichigo waved at Harribel who gave him a curt nod. He liked Harribel. She was always nice to him, if somewhat emotionless around him. He didn’t doubt her loyalty, though. Well, at least to her fraccion. Ichigo had to wonder how far her loyalty to Aizen would go if it weren’t for them. He saw things with her that Aizen didn’t, but that was okay. One thing Ichigo had learned was to keep things to himself, even from Aizen, just as a way to protect himself. Aizen himself had taught him from day one not to truly trust anyone, and that had stuck with him.</p><p>Zommari was another enigma to Ichigo. He was never interested in him at all, and Ichigo wasn’t sure why. He’d tried at sometimes to get the dark skinned Arrancar’s attention, but he just seemed to not care at all. He guessed that was just the way he was, and that was all.</p><p>“Sit,” Aizen commanded and Ichigo realized he was looking around and hadn’t sat down yet.</p><p>He went to the end of the table and sat down facing Aizen who sat at the other end. Five Espada sat on each side of the table. Ichigo hoped this went well.</p><p>“Ichigo has returned from the World of the Living, having only encountered the Kurosaki girl and Kuchiki Rukia. We will move on to a new mission, now. The woman, Inoue Orihime. I want her brought to me.”</p><p>The Espada glanced between themselves. It was Grimmjow who spoke. “What do ya want her for? Why does she matter?”</p><p>“That is none of your concern. I want her brought here. Ulquiorra, take Yammy and Ichigo and go retrieve her. Grimmjow, take your fraccion and occupy the Kurosaki girl and anyone else you can like Hitsugaya-taichou and Urahara.”</p><p>Ichigo frowned, not recognizing those names. These people seemed to be threats, but they weren’t people he’d seen in Karakura Town, so that meant Aizen already knew who was there. So, he had to wonder why it was Aizen sent him there to start with. He didn’t say anything though. That was another lesson he’d learned, not to question Aizen. He knew that Aizen had a lot of plans going, though, so perhaps this was some piece of those things. He knew better than to ask, that was certain.</p><p>“Can I kill them?” Grimmjow said with a grin.</p><p>“No, leave them alive. I have use of them yet. But ensure they do not interfere in the acquisition of the woman.” Aizen stood up. “Return with her as soon as possible. Dismissed.”</p><p>Everyone stood up and headed out. Ichigo ran over to Ulquiorra and Yammy where they were standing and discussing what they were going to do to get this woman successfully.</p><p>“Anyone who gets in the way, we can kill, right?” Yammy said as he came up.</p><p>“Aizen-sama did not give permission to kill,” Ulquiorra said stoically. “We will do the mission as we were instructed.” Ulquiorra turned to Ichigo. “Are you prepared?”</p><p>“I’m ready if you are,” Ichigo answered, excited to get going on a mission now that his first success had happened.</p><p>“Let’s get this over with,” Yammy said and they headed out.</p><p>A little while later, they stood over Karakura waiting until they were noticed. After a bit, a blue arrow came at the, easily dodged, and they went down to the ground where they found a dark-haired man and a woman with light brown hair. Obviously, Ulquiorra knew who he was looking for because he stared at her and nodded.</p><p>“Who are you?” the dark-haired man wielding a bow asked.</p><p>“Does it matter?” Ulquiorra said with a look. “We came for the woman.”</p><p>She looked at them, then turned and stared at Ichigo.</p><p>“He does look like him, Uryū. Just like him,” she said.</p><p>Ichigo tipped his head to the side. “What are you talking about?” he asked, curious at that comment. Who would he look like?</p><p>“Your name, it’s Ichigo,” she said, staring at him.</p><p>Ichigo blinked, a little surprised, so much so he glanced at Ulquiorra. “What?”</p><p>“Doesn’t matter, you’re coming with us,” Yammy said, grinning.</p><p>“I don’t think so,” Uryū said, aiming an arrow at him.</p><p>Yammy charged and fired a bala suddenly, forcing Uryū to dodge and fire at him. Ulquiorra didn’t do anything as he engaged with Uryū. Ichigo pulled his sword and stepped toward the woman who put her hands at her temples.</p><p>“I think you should consider your options carefully,” he said.</p><p>Ichigo had to jump out of the way of an arrow that exploded at his feet but rolled and stood back up. He knew elsewhere, Grimmjow and his fraccion had engaged the others at various places as he could feel their reiatsu. Uryū was dodging Yammy’s bala and Yammy was easily counting Uryū’s arrows. Then, there was another man running toward them, a tall, darker skinned man with shaggy dark hair. Ichigo moved toward him, sword raised, only to have it blocked by his arm.</p><p>“Another playmate!” Ichigo announced, stepping back and pointing at him. “Ulquie, are you going to play?”</p><p>“I’ll intervene if I deem it necessary,” he said, crossing his arms.</p><p>Ichigo snorted, engaging with the new foe. The woman had some sort of small fighting fairy or something she was using that was beginning to annoy Ichigo, but it wasn’t too bothersome. After a while, Yammy managed to get a good hit on Uryū, knocking him to the ground hard. The woman yelled and ran to him, throwing some sort of yellow shield over his unconscious body. Yammy came down and engaged with Ichigo on the other guy.</p><p>After a time, he too, fell to a bala, leaving the woman the only one standing. Ichigo pointed at her, then the prone forms of her allies. “You either come with us, or they die.”</p><p>Ichigo could still tell that Grimmjow and his fraccion were busy. He was sure they would be able to handle anyone else that was causing issues in the Town. He hoped everyone came back fine, though he would never voice that thought out loud. The woman sighed and nodded sadly as Ulquiorra walked up and grabbed her by the arm. Yammy and Ichigo followed back through a garganta to Hueco Mundo.</p><p>Once they got her back, they put her in a room and Aizen decided she should wear something more appropriate to Las Noches and gave her a set of clothes to wear. At first, she refused, but with some convincing of what would happen if she denied Aizen what he requested, she acquiesced to the demand. Ichigo was fascinated though. This was only his second time meeting a human. And what had she meant about him looking like someone else? And how did she know his name? He waited until everyone left then went to her room and knocked on the door.</p><p>“Yes?” she called.</p><p>Ichigo opened the door and went in, seeing her staring at him immediately. “Sorry for the accommodations. There’s not much in the way of comfort in Las Noches,” he said.</p><p>She nodded. “You came to see me, Ichigo.”</p><p>“Yeah, so how did you know my name?” he asked, tilting his head to the side and staring at her.</p><p>“Because you’re a human, that’s why. Your body is in the World of the Living right now, waiting for you to return to it,” she explained.</p><p>Ichigo frowned. “That’s not possible! I’m an Arrancar like the others!”</p><p>“Are you though? Karin said you didn’t have a hollow hole. And you don’t have a mask. She also said you told her you grew up here. You should know that doesn’t happen with Arrancar,” she said quietly. “Karin gathered us after your visit, her and Rukia, and showed your human body to us. She told us what happened, and she wants to help you. You’re her brother.”</p><p>Ichigo shook his head. “Impossible. That’s just impossible.”</p><p>“Is it?” she asked, sighing and stepping forward. She put a hand against his face. “Is it really impossible?”</p><p>Ichigo swallowed, not knowing what to do. She was right about him being different from the rest of the Arrancar, he knew that. She was right that the others didn’t grow up like he did. Could she be right about the other stuff? Could that be why he felt so funny around that Karin girl?</p><p>“Even if I am who you think I am, what does it matter? Las Noches is my home, and I am this person, not that one,” he said dismissively, reaching up and pulling her hand off his face.</p><p>The door opened suddenly behind him, and he turned to see Ulquiorra standing there. He let go of the woman’s hand because he saw the look cross his face. He stepped forward and grabbed him by the arm.</p><p>“What are you doing here?” he asked.</p><p>“I was just talking to her,” Ichigo said, not known how the emotionless Ulquiorra was going to react to this. No one had told him to talk to her, and Aizen had left his orders rather vague after coming back to Las Noches.</p><p>Ulquiorra growled under his breath and reached up and grabbed Ichigo by the hair, pulling him down. “You weren’t told to do that. Come on,” he said.</p><p>Ichigo sighed, seeing the woman staring at them as he dragged him out the door and slammed it. Ichigo noted there was a little window about face height and the woman came nearer. Ulquiorra, though, was fired up, Ichigo realized because he slammed his back into the door and pulled at his obi.</p><p>“What, here?” Ichigo gasped, a little shocked that he’d want to fuck right then.</p><p>“Here, now,” Ulquiorra said simply, face showing no emotion whatsoever.</p><p>Ichigo nodded, not able to deny him. It wasn’t the first time they’d gone at it in the middle of a room with other people around. It was just normal to him, really. And all the other Arrancar were used to seeing Ichigo around his Arrancar lovers.</p><p>Ulquiorra was at his throat sucking hard marks into his neck immediately, and he had to wonder if he wasn’t jealous of the woman since she’d touched Ichigo like she had. He certainly was acting like he wanted to show his dominance over him. Then he flipped Ichigo around and he found his face squarely shoved into the little window of the door. The woman was staring at him and he wasn’t really sure what to do about that, but then Ulquiorra had shoved two fingers into him and was thrusting them rapidly back and forth.</p><p>“You’re still loose from earlier,” he commented.</p><p>Ichigo felt his face warm a little and he closed his eyes as Ulquiorra pulled his fingers out and kicked his legs further apart. Ichigo braced himself against the door with both hands, feeling Ulquiorra’s blunt nails digging into his hips as he paused to line himself up. Then, he slammed forward, sheathing his rather large dick in him in one go.</p><p>Ichigo couldn’t help the moan that escaped his lips and he tried to keep his voice down but he couldn’t. His eyes raised to meet the woman’s again and he was bounced into the door again. He wondered for a moment if she realized what was happening outside the door, but her eyes were wide and her hand was covering her mouth, so he guessed she knew what was going on. Ulquiorra was rapidly fucking him, and he couldn’t help but continue to moan out now and then because it did feel really good right then. Then he started to slow down a bit.</p><p>“Ulquie! Keep going, just a little more,” he begged, turning his head toward Ulquiorra, hoping he’d let him come.</p><p>Ulquiorra snorted and began to speed up, sliding a hand around Ichigo’s waist and beginning to stroke him. This was rare; they never usually touched him like this unless they actually wanted him to come. It was obvious that Ulquiorra wanted to show off in front of the woman. Ichigo bit down on his lip, resting his forehead against the door as he continued to fuck him hard and fast, rattling the door on its hinges a little.</p><p>“Bitch,” Ulquiorra growled out. “Come.”</p><p>Ichigo didn’t have to hear it twice, between his huge dick rubbing against his prostate and his small hand jerking his own cock like it was, he came hard onto his hand. Ulquiorra thrust a few more times, bouncing Ichigo’s head into the wall a couple for good measure, then released. Ichigo was weak on his legs, so when he pulled out, Ichigo slid down the door to his knees.</p><p>“Go get cleaned up,” Ulquiorra said, and Ichigo knew he was doing this for the woman’s benefit because he was being unusually load.</p><p>Ichigo gathered his hakama, getting up on his feet and glanced through the window at the woman. She was still just staring out of it, and he smiled at her, giving her a wink as he turned and left. He headed to his room and got into a bath, feeling a little on the grimy side since he hadn’t been able to bathe after Grimmjow earlier. His mind, though, was on that woman. Her words left him feeling some kind of way he couldn’t describe. She said he was human. What if he was?</p><p>-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-</p><p>“We have to go after her!” Karin said, frowning at the others.</p><p>“The Sou-Taichou has said he’s not going to dedicate anyone to going to Hueco Mundo after her,” Rukia said sadly. “We can’t go against him.”</p><p>“You can’t, maybe,” she said. “But I can!”</p><p>Karin turned and headed for the door. Rukia sighed and looked at Renji. He shrugged and they both followed her. Outside, she met up with Uryū and Chad, both recovered fully from their encounter with the Arrancar that kidnapped Orihime.</p><p>It had been a two-prong assault. The three Arrancar went after Orihime while another group distracted the rest of the Shinigami in Karakura Town. Grimmjow had been their leader’s name, and he had brought six other Arrancar with him. They hadn’t managed to kill any of them, but they did beat back most of them except for Grimmjow, who had fought with Karin specifically. Unfortunately, he overpowered her, leaving her injured and in need of healing from Hachi and Tessai.</p><p>Karin considered Orihime like an older sister. During the fighting in Karakura Town with the hollows, she had been there, trying to help. She’d gotten around Rukia and they became fast friends, and then Uryū had been helping with the hollows. Uryū was already dating Orihime so it was no wonder that when she developed powers, it was to help others. She’d seen Uryū do amazing things with his bow to protect them, and their friend Chad had to as well. All three of them were a few years older, and out of school, so they were able to protect the town when Karin had to be at school.</p><p>Of course, then there was Kon. Kon was the “defective” mod soul they had gotten from Urahara. Kon loved women, and the first thing he lamented when in Karin’s body was that her boobs weren’t bigger. She’d have beaten him for that comment, but he was in her body at the time. He loved giving hugs to Orihime though and loved “sister Rukia”.</p><p>Right now, Kon was in school dealing with Karin’s life and trying not to let on he very much wanted to kiss all the girls. Karin knew that there were going to be rumors for years about her being a lesbian after Kon took over her body, but she really didn’t mind that. Maybe she was a lesbian; she didn’t know just yet. She thought she might like Jinta a little, but she wasn’t sure if it was a romantic like, or just a camaraderie like. She was still figuring out the difference.</p><p>Now, she had to do what was necessary to get Orihime back from Aizen’s hands. And if that meant going alone, she would do that.</p><p>“I’m going after her,” she informed Uryū and Chad.</p><p>Renji and Rukia caught up. “You can’t go alone!” Rukia said.</p><p>“I’m taking Uryū and Chad, right?” she said, looking at them.</p><p>“Of course,” Uryū said. “We can’t leave her there.”</p><p>Chad just nodded stoically. And they all knew that they would do exactly that. The three headed to Urahara and asked him to open a portal into Hueco Mundo. Urahara said it would take a few days to prepare it, and to give him some time. Karin was disappointed because she wanted to go right away, but Uryū and Chad both told her she needed to be patient. So, instead, she went to visit Ichigo’s body.</p><p>Knowing that that Arrancar was probably her brother made the visits different. She told Tomoko to go have a drink and let her have a minute alone, and she sat down in the chair beside the bed.</p><p>“Ichigo, you have to come back. Things are kind of crazy right now, and I really need my big brother,” she said and took one slack hand in hers. “I’m going to go to Hueco Mundo after Orihime, and I’m going to see you again there, I know it. But you have to realize you’re a human, not an Arrancar. And you have to come back to me.”</p><p>Tomoko returned and Karin got up. She nodded at the nurse and was about to leave.</p><p>“Oh, Karin, his heartrate went up for a little while earlier, you know,” Tomoko said.</p><p>“It did, huh?” Karin said.</p><p>“Strangest thing. No changes for years, and suddenly there are random increases in heartrate. Strange,” Tomoko said with a shrug.</p><p>Karin knew they weren’t random, and they weren’t strange. Ichigo’s body was reacting when his soul was near. His heart was speeding up. That just proved to Karin beyond a doubt that it was Ichigo. And it seemed the Arrancar was named Ichigo, too. So, Aizen hadn’t even bothered to give him a new name when he stole his soul.</p><p>Karin left and went to her room. Kon came running up, in the stuffed lion they’d found for him.</p><p>“Karin, you look sad!” he said.</p><p>“Yeah, just want my brother back, that’s all. And now Orihime is gone.”</p><p>“What happened?” he asked.</p><p>So, Karin explained what was going on to Kon. He knew some of it, but not what had happened just today. She was sad at the telling but she still gave him what information she knew. He listened, quiet for once, and let her tell it.</p><p>“You’ll do it, Karin,” Kon said, putting one furry paw on her hand. “You’ll save him.”</p><p>She nodded, smiling at him. “Yeah, I’m gonna save my brother no matter what.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Crushed Reality</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ichigo woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t get back to sleep. He tossed and turned for a little while, then got out of bed, grabbing a yukata from the dresser and slipping it on. He was lonely, he guessed, at least that was the closest thing he could come to knowing what he was feeling. So, considering he was tired, too, he wandered to Starrk’s castle. He knew Coyote would be asleep, but that was fine. He entered and went over to the piled pillows and found him laying on his back, snoring lightly. He got down and crawled into the pile with him, snuggling down beside him and grabbing the light blanket he slept with. He moved and wrapped an arm around him and Ichigo sighed, starting to drift to sleep immediately.</p><p>He slept soundly with him for a while. It was comfortable and comforting for him to lay there especially since his mind was still racing with thoughts about the human woman. He wanted to go back to talk to her again, and he intended to when he got up, no matter what the others thought. He had to know more, and she was the only one who could tell him anything about this confusion he was having. He woke up and found Coyote had wrapped around him pretty well during the night. He sighed and hugged him against him. Coyote moved and tightened his grip, surprising Ichigo because he thought he was asleep still.</p><p>“You’re awake?” Ichigo asked.</p><p>“Hmmm, yeah.” Coyote yawned a little. “Lilynette is with Harribel and her girls.”</p><p>Ichigo smirked, sliding out of his arms and going for the waist of his pants. “Oh?”</p><p>“Yeah. No one else is here,” he said, putting his arms behind his head and looking down at Ichigo.</p><p>Ichigo nodded, knowing how rare this moment was. Usually, when he was at Coyote’s place, Lilynette was up kicking him out as soon as she woke up, but not today. Today, he could take his time and do whatever he wanted. So, he pulled him free of his hakama and went down to lick gently at the head of his rapidly hardening arousal. Ichigo knew he couldn’t do much with his mouth because while Coyote wasn’t as long as Grimmjow or Ulquiorra, he was bigger around and to take him in his entirety was hard to do. He still went down on him as much as he could, feeling him spurt pre-cum into his mouth immediately.</p><p>After a few moments of sucking and licking, Coyote reached down and patted his head. Ichigo came up off him, already knowing what he wanted. He moved up between his legs and then climbed up on him, straddling him, feeling his cock against him under the yukata. He huffed a breath and reached under himself, sliding fingers into himself to prepare for Coyote. After a little bit, he felt like he could take him, especially as much pre-cum as he was leaking. He reached down and stroked him a few times, coating him as well as he could, before he grabbed him and positioned him at his entrance.</p><p>There was always a moment of hesitation because it would never not be uncomfortable at first. He slipped his cock in, wincing a little at the stretch as he slid down slowly on him. It wasn’t quick enough for Coyote, though, because he bucked his hips and shoved himself deeper.</p><p>“Ah!” Ichigo gasped, holding himself above him until he could slip down all the way. Coyote was smirking at him.</p><p>“There’s a good boy,” Coyote said as Ichigo got settled down on him, feeling him inside him hard and full.</p><p>“You’re so big around,” Ichigo sighed as he began to use his legs to bounce a little on him.</p><p>“Hmm, yeah, but you like it,” he said sliding his hands up the inside of Ichigo’s thighs.</p><p>“I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Ichigo commented, pushing himself up and dropping down again.</p><p>Coyote grabbed Ichigo’s cock and stroked him a few times, making Ichigo drip himself. He hadn’t really been with Coyote in a while, so it was really kind of nice, especially since Coyote liked him to get on top and ride him, which the others weren’t interested in very often. They were more interested in a fast, hard fucking. Coyote was always slower and lazier when it came to it.</p><p>“Did you know I’d come by?” Ichigo asked, starting to moan a little more as he found a good angle against his prostate.</p><p>“No, but I thought you might.” Coyote slid his hands up and down his thighs as he rode him, sliding up and stroking him now and then.</p><p>Since Ichigo was in control, it took longer for him to bring Coyote closer. He didn’t seem to mind, grunting now and then and continuing to touch him, bringing his head down to kiss him a few times. Coyote liked kissing more than the others, so they let their tongues tangle with each other slowly as Ichigo stilled, holding him inside as he kissed him. Coyote reached up and ran a hand down his neck.</p><p>“Ulquiorra again, or Grimmjow?” he asked, smiling.</p><p>“Both, I think,” he said. “Though Nnoitra was nuzzling me too. You know how he gets.”</p><p>“Should I leave a mark or two?” he said, pulling his face back down again for another kiss, then moving to bite at the chord of his neck.</p><p>“You know you can,” Ichigo said, bucking his hips to get some friction.</p><p>Ichigo sat back some and began to speed up because he could feel the sensations building and knew he wouldn’t last much longer. He knew Coyote would last until he came; he usually did. The Primera was perhaps the gentlest of the Espada, which considering he was the most powerful, was significant. He moaned out suddenly.</p><p>“I’m gonna come,” Ichigo told him.</p><p>“Go ahead,” Coyote said, sliding both hands up on his ass and gripping him tightly. “I’ll follow.”</p><p>Ichigo nodded, feeling Coyote’s nails dig into him as he bounced faster and kept going for a few moments until he felt the orgasm crashing into him. Coyote tightened his grip and slammed his hips upward a few times before he released. Ichigo fell forward on him, grabbing him around the neck and hugging him suddenly. He felt Coyote’s hands hesitate, then he embraced him too, resting against him for a moment until Ichigo climbed down beside him.</p><p>Coyote reached over and brushed his braids and loose hair out of his face. “Hmm, thank you for coming.”</p><p>“Thank you for making me,” Ichigo said with a wink as he rolled off of the pillows to the floor. “I have to go bathe. I’ll see you later!” he said, leaving Coyote and heading out of his castle.</p><p>He headed back to his room and took a long bath. It felt nice and he actually fell asleep in the water. He supposed Coyote had tired him somewhat. He woke with a start and found the water turning cold. He got out and got dressed, leaving his sword in his room.</p><p>He didn’t care what the others said. He was going to talk to the human woman again.</p><p>He avoided other Arrancar as he went to the room she was held in. He waited until the Arrancar on patrol passed and then he went to the door and knocked.</p><p>“Yes?” she said.</p><p>Ichigo opened the door and went in, moving to stand out of view of the window in the door.</p><p>“You again?” she said, smiling a little.</p><p>“Yeah, I wanted to talk to you again. What do you mean by the idea I’m human?” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.</p><p>“Aizen stole you. You’re supposed to be in the World of the Living. He took your soul and used the hogyuku on you. At least, that’s what we think. He did something to make you more like an Arrancar. But he couldn’t complete the transformation, and that’s why you don’t have a hollow hole or a mask.” She tilted her head to the side and stepped forward. She reached out and touched his neck. “Do you love him?”</p><p>Ichigo blinked. “You mean Ulquiorra?” he asked. “I love him as much as the others, I guess. I mean, he’s just a partner.”</p><p>“The others?” she said, frowning. “What do you mean, the others?”</p><p>“You don’t think Ulquiorra’s the only one I have sex with, did you?” he said, waving her hand away.</p><p>“I see. But do you love them?” she asked. “And do they love you?”</p><p>“I mean, I love having sex with them. But I don’t know what you mean by loving them. They’re just my partners,” he said, shrugging.</p><p>“Love. You know, feeling like you want good things for them, and want to see yourself with them in the future, not just… sex.”</p><p>Ichigo wasn’t sure what to make of that question and statement. “Well, I mean, I don’t want anything bad to happen to them.”</p><p>“But it should be more than that,” she said. “What does your heart tell you?”</p><p>“I’m an Arrancar, I don’t have one!” Ichigo insisted.</p><p>“That’s not true. You know you’re not one of them, not really. You’re a human still. And you can go home and live a normal life.” She looked him over. “I know your family would accept you.”</p><p>“I’m not leaving Las Noches and the Espada. They’re everything to me,” Ichigo frowned, shaking his head, arms still crossed.</p><p>“You have to know how much you’re loved by your family,” she said. “You have to know—” her words were cut off by the door being opened.</p><p>Ichigo turned and his eyes widened a bit. “Aizen-sama?”</p><p>“Ichigo-kun. You weren’t told to come here. Come with me. We have some discussions to have,” he said, motioning for Ichigo to follow him.</p><p>Ichigo nodded, walking out the door after him without another word. The woman came to the door and watched as they left. Aizen led him back to his rooms without speaking, and Ichigo had to wonder if he was angry at him for talking to the woman. He closed the door and turned and stared at him.</p><p>“When the time comes, I plan to use the hogyuku on you again,” he said.</p><p>Ichigo blinked. “What will it do?” he asked, frowning at him.</p><p>“It will complete your failed transformation to an Arrancar,” he said and Ichigo spoke before he thought.</p><p>“I’m fine as I am.”</p><p>Immediately, he saw the flash in Aizen’s eyes. He knew he’d made a mistake; he just didn’t know how much of one yet. He swallowed and started to say something else but the look on Aizen’s face stopped him.</p><p>“You’re fine as you are?” he said, eyes narrowing. “As you are now, you are nothing but the Espada’s whore. You are barely worth the time I put into your creation with the hogyuku, and you have yet to begin to prove yourself to me. You spend your days as half the Espada’s fuck toy, and you believe you’re fine as you are.”</p><p>Ichigo looked at him, unsure what to say. “I don’t want to change anymore. I want to be who I am now.”</p><p>Aizen was eerily quiet for a moment. “You are mine to do as I want. I brought you here. I will be the one to determine who you are to be.”</p><p>“You stole me!” Ichigo said. “The woman, she said she saw my human body, so you stole me from my life before this. So, now you say you own me, but you did nothing but steal a human’s soul, didn’t you?” Ichigo had no idea where it was coming from, but he couldn’t stop it. “I want to be myself, not what you determine who I am to be. I determine that! I’m not just something for your hogyuku to do whatever you want with!”</p><p>Ichigo didn’t know what he was doing, but he was going through a lot of emotions, some for the first time in a long time, and he wasn’t going to just let Aizen tell him what he was going to do with him. He was done with that.</p><p>Aizen looked at him a second, then held up two fingers and said, “Sai.”</p><p>Ichigo gasped as his hands were twisted and bound behind his back. “What?” he managed.</p><p>Aizen stepped forward and grabbed him by the top of the head and twisted his head down. “You do not tell me what happens to you, whore. You like being one so well, I’ll treat you like one.”</p><p>Ichigo’s eyes widened as he realized what was happening. “No, don’t!”</p><p>“Still trying to tell me what to do, are you? You are nothing to me now but a worthless whore and that’s how you’ll be treated from now on,” he said. “I was kind and made you my protégé. That is no more,” he said, twisting him over to the bed and throwing him to his stomach.</p><p>He tried to get his arms free, but he couldn’t break whatever binding was on him. Aizen shoved his face into the bed and ripped his obi off from behind, causing his hakama to fall off. He struggled against him, but he couldn’t get any purchase with his feet.</p><p>“Stop this, Aizen-sama!” he managed as he felt tears building in his eyes. He had to stop the tears though; he couldn’t cry.</p><p>“No, I’m just giving you the treatment you desire. I’ve seen the Espada with you. You like it rough, don’t you?” he said, and kicked his legs out from under him completely standing between them. “I’m not doing anything different, am I? Or is this different? You’ll let them fuck you freely, but I do not get that privilege?”</p><p>Ichigo bit down on his lip as Aizen thrust forward, painfully breeching him. He yelped at it because even rough, the Espada were never this way. This was in no way pleasant for him. He thrust back and forth harshly, aiming to cause the most pain it seemed like. He knew Aizen was angry, but this was more than he expected.</p><p>“Just stop!” he begged, still trying to pull his arms off his back.</p><p>“No,” he said simply, “I’ll make you bleed for me since you believe yourself better than your station. One way or another, I will take my payment in blood.”</p><p>He continued until he stiffened, and Ichigo could feel him throbbing inside him. He pulled out and then grabbed him by the hair again, twisting him up and back.</p><p>“Now, you understand who owns your soul.”</p><p>He threw him forward and turned, pulling his hakama up and tying his obi before leaving the room. Ichigo sat on the floor, half naked still and the kido still binding his arms. He didn’t know what just happened and he didn’t know how to handle it.</p><p>-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-</p><p>Grimmjow hadn’t seen Ichigo yet, and that had him a bit worried that he’d gotten overly interested in the damn human woman. It would cause no end to trouble if he was, so he headed to his rooms to see if he was there. As he came near, Aizen was walking away from them. He locked eyes with Grimmjow.</p><p>“You should keep a tighter leash on your pet. He’s wandering places he shouldn’t,” he said, then walked on past him.</p><p>Grimmjow watched him leave and wondered what that meant, then he sped up to see what was happening. Ichigo’s door was partially open, and he pushed it the rest of the way. He blinked because Ichigo was sitting against the bed, hands behind his back, apparently bound somehow, sitting in a puddle of bloody cum.</p><p>Grimmjow wasn’t the nicest of the Espada by any means, and when he saw that he knew what had happened, and he saw red.</p><p>“How dare he,” he growled, stepping forward and grabbing Ichigo by the arm. “How could you let him?” he said, staring at him.</p><p>Ichigo just stared at him, eyes wide and not responding. Grimmjow growled again and bent Ichigo over the bed, holding him by the hands where they were bound on his back and shoved two fingers inside him, pulling them back somewhat bloody and with Aizen’s seed on them. He would rid him of that bastard’s essence.</p><p>In anger, he pulled himself out of his pants and slammed forward into Ichigo, getting only the slightest whimper out of him. “I’ll fuck his cum out of you, fucking bastard. He thinks he owns everything in this place!” he said, roughly thrusting into him. “You belong to us, not him, and he needs to learn that!”</p><p>It didn’t take long before he felt the sensation of coming close come over him, and he realized Ichigo’s hands were unbound now, but he was just laying there with them on his back as he fucked him hard and rough. It flashed in Grimmjow’s mind that this was wrong, but the orgasm slammed into him and he came into him, in his mind, flushing out Aizen’s essence.</p><p>He pulled back, realizing that what he’d done might not have been good because he heard sniffling now and he had a sudden moment of remorse. He’d been so angry that Aizen had dared touch him, he wasn’t thinking clearly. He sat down beside him and pulled his face up and saw the tears streaking Ichigo’s face.</p><p>Ichigo didn’t cry.</p><p>He’d done this. “Ichigo? I’m sorry, I am. I got angry,” he said.</p><p>Ichigo didn’t move, and that worried him. Tears just kept streaming down his face, and he kept staring at him with wide eyes like he wasn’t really seeing him.</p><p>“Ichigo?” he said, cupping his face. “Come on, say something.”</p><p>Grimmjow got up and got a washrag out of the bath and came back and cleaned up the mess he was in, noting the bright red blood still leaking. He hadn’t helped that, he knew. He reached down and pulled him up onto his lap. It was easy to do because he was still limply moving wherever he was positioned. Grimmjow pulled his head toward his chest and began petting his head and rocking him.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m really sorry,” he said. “We’ll do something about him. We will. He can’t do this to you. He can’t.”</p><p>-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-</p><p>Karin was glad when word came that they could go to Hueco Mundo. Uryū and Chad were ready, and they headed out as soon as the way was opened to them. She was anticipating what they would encounter, and as they were about to leave, they heard someone call out to them.</p><p>“Hey!”</p><p>Karin turned to see Rukia and Renji coming toward her. “We told the Sou-Taichou you were going, and he decided he’d let us go on our own if we wanted to. They’ve got to prepare for the possible attack here, so they’re not sparing anyone else,” Rukia said. “We’ll come.”</p><p>“Good, let’s get to Las Noches!” Karin said and led the group through the portal.</p><p>On the other side, there were trials getting there, and friends along the way such as the child Arrancar Nel and her two friends and the great worm hollow Bawabawa. They made their way to the gates of Las Noches together, knowing that they had to rescue Orihime. What they didn’t expect was to be stopped outside the gates by an Arrancar who did not attack them. He was standing there, with a white outfit on, eyes on them immediately. He had brown hair and clear blue eyes.</p><p>“Are you here to stop us?” Karin said, raising her blade at him.</p><p>He lifted his hand and pulled the glove off to reveal the number one on the back of it. Karin’s eyes went wide. He was the first Espada.</p><p>“I am here to aid you.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Changing of the Guard</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Grimmjow didn’t know what to do. He knew he’d messed up, but he didn’t know how to fix it. But just the fact that Ichigo cried was getting to him, and he couldn’t figure that part out. Why was it bothering him what Ichigo felt? Crying wasn’t something that got you anywhere in Las Noches. Still, he left Ichigo sleeping and went to go find someone who might be able to help him.</p><p>He got to Starrk’s castle and knocked. The door flew open and Lilynette glared at him.</p><p>“What the hell do you want?” she groused.</p><p>“I need to talk to Starrk. Not your dumb ass,” he grumbled.</p><p>She narrowed her eyes at him but turned and yelled, “Coyote! Grimmjow wants you.”</p><p>A few minutes later a sleepy looking Starrk came to the door and looked at him. “Yeah, what is it?”</p><p>“I need your help with something. Come on. Something’s happened. With Ichigo.” He saw Starrk’s eyes widen a little, but he didn’t say anything, he just came out of the door and closed it behind him. “I think we should get Ulquiorra and Nnoitra, too.”</p><p>Starrk knew that Ulquiorra was guarding the human woman. Nnoitra was probably in his rooms. But they would both want to get involved if Ichigo was in trouble somehow. Starrk had just seen him, though, so he wasn’t sure what could have happened in such a short time. Unless Ichigo had gone back to talk to the human woman again.</p><p>“I’ll get Ulquiorra. You find Nnoitra. We’ll meet outside Ichigo’s rooms,” Starrk said, nodding and stifling a yawn.</p><p>Grimmjow watched him go and then went to find Nnoitra. He went to his rooms. Tesla answered the door.</p><p>“Give me Nnoitra,” he said to the fraccion.</p><p>Tesla frowned and then nodded, closing the door. A few seconds later, Nnoitra opened the door, looking down at Grimmjow.</p><p>“What is it?” he asked, looking annoyed at being interrupted.</p><p>“Something’s happened to Ichigo we need to talk about together,” he said.</p><p>Nnoitra’s one eye widened, and he gave a nod. “Alright. You got the others?”</p><p>“Starrk’s getting Ulquiorra now. We’re meeting outside Ichigo’s room. I’ll explain there,” he said, still feeling confused himself.</p><p>A few minutes later, they arrived, and Grimmjow looked in on Ichigo to find him still deeply asleep. He was glad of that. He was no doubt exhausted by what had happened. He shut the door and turned to find Starrk and Ulquiorra coming down the hallway.</p><p>“Alright, Grimmjow, what’s this about?” Nnoitra asked, obviously already impatient.</p><p>“Aizen did something to him. He raped him.”</p><p>The others were quiet for a moment. Then Ulquiorra, who unexpectedly spoke up first, looked at him. “He what?”</p><p>“I was coming to find him, when Aizen was coming out of his room. He said something about keeping a tighter leash on our pet, and that he was going places he shouldn’t. When I got in there, he was still bound with some sort of kido and he was bleeding. I got pissed. Really pissed, and I don’t know why. I ended up fucking him, just to get rid of Aizen, I guess. And he cried.”</p><p>“He cried?” Starrk said, looking at Grimmjow.</p><p>“He cried,” Grimmjow confirmed. “I didn’t know what to do! I still don’t!”</p><p>“What do we do? We can’t just let him do this. He doesn’t own Ichigo, or any of us, to be able to do this,” Nnoitra said.</p><p>Ulquiorra nodded. “If he can do this to Ichigo, what are the rest of us worth?”</p><p>Grimmjow hadn’t thought about that before, but now that Ulquiorra had brought it up, he had to wonder too. His thoughts ran to the Privaron Espada, those that had come before them. They had been disposable. As long as they were powerful, they were worth something to Aizen. The moment someone became more powerful, they became of little to no use anymore. Where was that line, and how were they to avoid crossing it?</p><p>“Something must be done,” Starrk said slowly, looking around at them. “He goes too far this time. He came here to control us, and we’ve let him do what he wanted for this long. The question is, what do we do?”</p><p>“The Shinigami will be coming. He’s already preparing for them,” Nnoitra said as he thought. “They’ll be after the woman he has. What if we give her to them, and send Ichigo?”</p><p>Grimmjow shook his head. “We can’t just send them alone, not with what just happened to him.”</p><p>“Then one of us goes, too, and the rest stay so that we can stay apprised of Aizen’s plans,” Starrk said, looking around at them. “One to take care of him, the rest to keep an eye on what Aizen does and foil any plans he might have to try and retrieve him.”</p><p>“I’ll go. I think out of all of us, Aizen trusts me the least,” Grimmjow nodded. “I’ll take them both when the Shinigami show up.”</p><p>“So, what do we do, then?” Nnoitra asked. “We just pretend we don’t know what’s going on?”</p><p>“We report to Aizen that Grimmjow has defected and taken the woman and Ichigo with him. We don’t need to tell him that we know why they left, just that they have.” Starrk looked around and sighed. “This will get complicated.”</p><p>“What will get complicated?” came a voice from nearby, startling all four Espada into turning around to see Gin smiling at them.</p><p>“What do you want?” Nnoitra asked. “This is Espada business, not Shinigami business.”</p><p>“Ah, but it sounds like ya are plotting together. That could be bad for us.” Gin came closer and Grimmjow had to wonder how much he’d heard. They hadn’t even known the snaky bastard was there.</p><p>“It doesn’t matter,” Grimmjow growled.</p><p>“Ah, but it does,” Gin said, looking around at the four of them. “Aizen has done something you disapprove of, it seems, yah?”</p><p>“Disapprove?” Grimmjow snapped before he thought. “He raped Ichigo!”</p><p>Starrk put a hand on Grimmjow’s shoulder but the damage was done. Grimmjow had already let his anger override his sense when it came to the situation.</p><p>“Why would ya all care about that? Isn’t he just your fuck toy?” Gin tilted his head to the side; his eyes barely slits as he stared at them. “Is it that ya don’t like that Aizen touched your toy, or is it more than that?”</p><p>Starrk turned and looked at him. “Something tells me that you are not surprised by this.”</p><p>Gin looked around at each of them, then back at Starrk. “You plan to betray Aizen over this. Interestin’. I shall have to watch how this plays out,” he said, turning and walking back the way he’d come.</p><p>“What do we do about that?” Ulquiorra asked.</p><p>“Something tells me he’s not going to say anything to Aizen,” Starrk said, narrowing his eyes as Gin disappeared from sight. “As it is, the Shinigami are coming already. We should prepare. But first, let’s check in on Ichigo.”</p><p>-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-</p><p>Ichigo was locked into a nightmare that wouldn’t let him go. It was as though Aizen’s attack was on a loop in his brain, and he couldn’t get away from it. No matter what he tried, he couldn’t seem to free himself from the terrible events. Aizen, who he’d almost seen as a type of father figure, had done something he never would have imagined. He had always been so free with sex, he thought it was somewhat strange to be so affected by it, because after all, that’s all it was. But was it? Was it not more? It was a deep violation of everything Ichigo knew, and it tilted his world view on its side. Everything was sideways in his dream world, and he didn’t understand it.</p><p>“Ichigo?” he heard, and at first, he couldn’t tell if it was in his dream or outside of it. “Ichigo!” the voice insisted. That had come from outside, he thought. Maybe he could break free?</p><p>His eyes fluttered and he found himself staring at Grimmjow. Without thinking, he flinched back from him, and he saw the look cross his face as he stood back up. He looked around and saw Starrk sitting on the end of the bed, and Ulquiorra and Nnoitra standing nearby.</p><p>“What’s going on?” he muttered, trying to let the vestiges of sleep fade from the corners of his mind.</p><p>“We’re going to fix this,” Grimmjow said, but didn’t come near him again.</p><p>“Fix what?” Ichigo said, sitting up in the bed and looking around.</p><p>“What Aizen did can’t stand.” Grimmjow crossed his arms and glared at him.</p><p>Ichigo shook his head and waved it off. “Just leave it.”</p><p>“Leave it? And what if he does it again?” Starrk said, surprising Ichigo with the strength of that statement.</p><p>“He won’t. It was just I made him angry, that’s all.”</p><p>“Being angry is no excuse to do what he did,” Ulquiorra said, bringing Ichigo’s attention to him.</p><p>“But he can do whatever he wants. He owns me,” Ichigo said, sighing sadly. He remembered that clearly, now.</p><p>“He doesn’t own you any more than he owns the rest of us. You are one of us,” Nnoitra said to him.</p><p>“But I’m not! I’m different! I’m not a real Arrancar! I don’t have a mask, and I don’t have a hollow hole! So, what does that make me?” Ichigo said, looking around at them. “Am I human like that woman said? Is that why I’m not like you? I don’t even have a resurrección!”</p><p>Everyone was silent for a moment then Grimmjow moved and sat down on the bed beside him. Ichigo didn’t mean to flinch again, but he did as he took his hand.</p><p>“I’m sorry for what I did. I’ll make it up to you. You have to understand, I didn’t know what I was feeling. In fact, I still don’t understand it, not really. But I think something is happening that’s bigger than us. Bigger than Aizen’s plans for the Ōken. We can’t let this go. So, we’re leaving. Me, you, and that woman. When the Shinigami come, we’re going with them.”</p><p>Ichigo looked at him in shock. “What? You’re insane! We can’t just leave Aizen! He’ll find us!”</p><p>“We’ll have the Shinigami to protect us. Others have hidden from him before, so we’ll find out how they did it, and we’ll do it too. We’ll figure it out,” Grimmjow said, squeezing his hand.</p><p>Ichigo looked at the others. “And you all?”</p><p>“We stay here,” Starrk said softly. “We pretend that Grimmjow betrayed us alone. He’ll install another sixth Espada. One we can’t trust. But we go forward and hope he doesn’t pick up on what we’ve all done. While we’re here, we’ll gather those to our side that will come. I believe Tier will stand with us and the tres bestias. Grimmjow’s fraccion will be tested to see if their loyalty is with Aizen or Grimmjow.”</p><p>Ichigo still couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Starrk was the first, the Primera. And Ulquiorra was the fourth Espada, and Nnoitra the fifth. These were three of the top five Espada. And they would betray Aizen because of what he did to him? They would give everything just for him? His heart ached in his chest, and he felt tears well again, and this time he didn’t stop them.</p><p>“You’re crying again!” Grimmjow said suddenly, staring at him as though he didn’t know what to do about it.</p><p>“I’m sorry, but I can’t believe you’d do this for me.” Ichigo wiped away the tears and looked at them. “You don’t need to.”</p><p>“Yes, we do,” Starrk said with a nod. “What Aizen did is wrong. We cannot let it go that easily.”</p><p>“What happens now?” Ichigo asked, not knowing what they would do now.</p><p>“We wait. And you aren’t left alone, either,” Grimmjow said with a nod. “One of us is always with you until the Shinigami show up.”</p><p>“How will you know?” he asked.</p><p>“Aizen will inform us when they get to Hueco Mundo,” Starrk said. “He will want us to prepare for them, and to do so we will be ready. He is already planning to take Karakura Town soon. The times may coincide, but they may not with everything that’s going to happen.”</p><p>“So now we just wait?” Ichigo said, pulling the covers up around him. He really wanted to go back to sleep, but then he feared the nightmares, too.</p><p>“We wait,” Grimmjow said, picking up his hand and kissing the back of it.</p><p>Ichigo swallowed, confused by the gentle gesture from him, especially after the violence with which he reacted to what Aizen had done. He licked his lips and squeezed his hand in return and nodded.</p><p>“Okay,” he whispered.</p><p>-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-</p><p>Starrk made his way down to the gates of Las Noches. He’d been watching the Shinigami’s progress with the rest. They were all curious if they would make it, and Starrk wanted to make sure that they were strong enough to protect Ichigo from Aizen if it came to that. Aizen was busy with his own plans, and he guessed that Gin had decided not to tell him that he’d come across them plotting with each other because nothing had come of that at all. He had to wonder at what Gin had planned and how their plans played into that.</p><p>The Shinigami came to the base of Las Noches and Starrk introduced himself. The dark-haired one with the black sword stepped in front of the others.</p><p>“Why should we trust you?” she asked.</p><p>“Because I will give you Ichigo as well as the woman,” Starrk said.</p><p>She blinked, and Starrk guessed this was the sister to Ichigo. It would make sense, the way she hesitated when presented with this prospect. “Why would you do this? Why would you aid us?”</p><p>“Aizen has gone too far, and we want to see him safe,” he said, looking at the small group they had brought with them.</p><p>The shorter Shinigami narrowed her purple eyes at him. “What do you mean, he’s gone too far?”</p><p>Starrk debated telling them the truth. Would it matter to them? Or was it even his story to tell? He sighed. “If Ichigo wants to tell you what has transpired, he will. Either way, he needs to leave Hueco Mundo to ensure his safety.”</p><p>The others who had arrived were silent for a moment. “We have to take the chance,” the redheaded Shinigami stated, looking at them. “The chance to rescue Orihime and liberate Ichigo’s soul?”</p><p>“It is almost too good to be true,” the taller Shinigami said.</p><p>“He will assuredly send pursuit, and I am unsure who he will send. Perhaps an Espada, perhaps only fraccion, so Grimmjow is going to go with you. He is the sixth Espada and will be able to protect you.” Starrk looked around. “Come, before we are noticed,” he said, gesturing for them to follow.</p><p>“Karin, I’m not sure about this,” the dark haired one in white said.</p><p>“Uryū, please. We came this far. We will rescue her, no matter what stands in our way,” Karin said to him, eyes situated forward.</p><p>Starrk noted that the small Arrancar had tailed along with them, and he realized that it had to be Nelliel. He wondered what had happened to her, but it appeared her mask had been cracked somehow, reverting her to a child. Curious, he thought as he led them up to the room where Ulquiorra guarded the woman. They came up and Ulquiorra looked to them.</p><p>“They have arrived,” he said, nodding. “The plan goes forward?” he asked Starrk.</p><p>“It does. I’ll lead them to Ichigo and Grimmjow.” He then pulled out a small black box. “I’ll trap you in the Caja Negación, so if there are any questions, it will mean you will be accounted for a couple hours’ time at least.”</p><p>Ulquiorra nodded, and the others watched as Starrk placed the box at his hollow hole and it absorbed into him, binding him and making him disappear. Starrk then opened the door and Orihime came out.</p><p>“What’s happening?” she asked. “Rukia! Renji! Karin! Chad! Uryū!” she gasped and came out, hugging each in turn, lingering on Uryū last of all. “You’ve come!”</p><p>“We couldn’t leave you here.” Karin smiled, then turned to look at Starrk. “Now, show us to my brother.”</p><p>“Ichigo?” Orihime said. “Will he leave?”</p><p>“We’ve told him it is time for him to leave us, so I believe he will go without a fight,” Starrk said softly. “I do very much hate to let him go, but Las Noches is no longer a safe place for him.”</p><p>“I don’t understand what’s happened to make that so,” Rukia said, narrowing her eyes at Starrk. “Why should Las Noches suddenly become unsafe for him?”</p><p>“As I’ve said, that’s his story to tell, not mine,” Starrk nodded and turned to lead them back the way they’d come.</p><p>They came down to another set of rooms and Starrk knocked on the door. They entered to find Grimmjow standing in the middle of the room with his arms tucked behind his back. He looked up.</p><p>“Finally. He’s getting nervous.”</p><p>“Yes, they’re here. Time to go, Ichigo,” Starrk called.</p><p>“I still don’t want to leave,” they all heard as Ichigo came out of the room to the side, dressed in his usual white outfit and hair wild about his head save the braids around his face.</p><p>“It is you,” Karin whispered.</p><p>Ichigo tilted his head to the side. “The woman says you are my sister. I don’t know what to make of this, yet so please don’t ask for much. I’m only going at the Espada’s insistence that I need to leave. And Grimmjow is coming with me, so that makes it okay.”</p><p>“Enough talk, we must go before Aizen figures out what’s happening,” Grimmjow growled. “He’ll send someone after us, but the question is, who.”</p><p>Grimmjow put an arm around Ichigo, a gesture that got a curious look from everyone except Orihime, who didn’t seem surprised. Starrk knew about the little show Ulquiorra had put on for her, so he was sure she would assume they were all Ichigo’s partners. She was smart, after all.</p><p>“Now, you must go,” Starrk said, nodding to Grimmjow. “Take care of him, and we will work from the inside to thwart any efforts to recapture you or him.”</p><p>“You better do your part,” Grimmjow sighed and pushed Ichigo toward the door.</p><p>Starrk watched them all leave and hoped that they made it. He supposed if they were caught or killed, he would hear about it.</p><p>-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-</p><p>Ichigo was still not sure about the whole idea of leaving Hueco Mundo with these people. He still was amazed at the fact Nelliel was still alive somehow, despite having her mask cracked. He had liked her before she disappeared. He wondered exactly what had happened to her. Nnoitra would never tell him. He just said he “took care of her”. Apparently, he hadn’t killed her, though she was transformed into a childlike visage.</p><p>She led them back out to a massive worm-like hollow named Bawabawa. They all got on it and began to move away from Las Noches as fast as they could. Ichigo was impressed at the speed this creature could move, but it wasn’t fast enough, because soon, five figures appeared in front of them.</p><p>“He would send my fraccion,” Grimmjow grumbled as they prepared to fight.</p><p>They stopped and everyone dismounted the great worm. Grimmjow got out in front of the others. “It doesn’t have to be this way. Let us go.”</p><p>“We have our orders. You are no longer our king. You’ve betrayed all of us,” Shawlong said, straightening his back and staring at Grimmjow.</p><p>“You know you can’t beat me. Not then, not now,” Grimmjow pointed out to them.</p><p>“We will,” Di Roy growled and ran at him.</p><p>Immediately, the other four moved forward, soon to be engaged by the others. Ichigo ended up with Grimmjow, fighting Di Roy. Rukia faced off against Edrad with Uryū, Orihime and Chad were fighting Nakeem, and Shawlong was fighting Renji who was quickly joined by Karin. Yylfordt joined Shawlong against Renji after assessing the fighting for a few moments.</p><p>“Don’t do this, Di Roy,” Ichigo said, crossing blades with him. “You aren’t as powerful as Grimmjow, and you definitely can’t beat both him and me.”</p><p>“You’re nothing but a failed Arrancar,” Di Roy spat. “You don’t even have a resurrección. You aren’t even worth this fight.”</p><p>Ichigo bristled a bit, and then Grimmjow attacked from the other side. It was a short and vicious battle between them that Ichigo was a little shocked by as Grimmjow easily cut him down without a second thought. Ichigo turned and decided to help Orihime and Chad with Nakeem. He’d already increased in size once, and Chad was starting to struggle with him with his powerful arm. Ichigo slipped in between them and brought his sword up, stabbing Nakeem through the middle and surprising him. For a second Nakeem looked shocked, and Ichigo knew why. They all devalued him.</p><p>He turned and Rukia and Uryū were with Edrad. They seemed to be fine, and he glanced at Renji and Karin and noted that Shawlong had entered resurrección while Renji had summoned some sort of huge snake like thing with his weapon. Ichigo was vaguely impressed, though he moved to engage Edrad as the Arrancar avoided being hit by another arrow. Grimmjow ran over to help Renji with Shawlong and Yylfordt.</p><p>“You’re nothing!” Edrad growled, summoning his resurrección as he engaged him.</p><p>Ichigo winced as he narrowly avoided being hit by a gout of fire. “Yeah, well, neither are you,” Ichigo responded as Rukia engaged beside him with her ice-based attack. It was surprisingly effective against him, Ichigo noted. After a few minutes of exchanging blows, Ichigo went flying but it gave Rukia the chance to step in and exploit an opening while Edrad was concentrating on Chad moving in on his side. He fell easily before Ichigo could get back over there.</p><p>He turned and saw that Karin had broken off and was fighting Yylfordt while Renji handled Shawlong with Grimmjow’s help. The others were moving in to aid their companions, but he noted that Uryū was sitting on the ground with Orihime putting some sort of gold shield over him. So, she was a healer of some sort, he guessed before he came up beside Karin.</p><p>“You are both not worth my time,” Yylfordt said, moving to impale Karin.</p><p>Ichigo was too far away to do anything, though. He gasped and some instinct made him raise his sword, and he felt power of some sort racing through his being. He swiped his sword in the air, and from it, an arc of pure blue energy shot out, hitting Yylfordt before he could hurt Karin. Ichigo tottered and fell to his knees, exhausted by whatever that had been, and fell forward unconscious.</p><p>He woke a few moments later, under the golden shield Orihime used. He blinked and looked around at the concerned faces, and realized Grimmjow was right there beside him, holding his hand. He gripped Grimmjow’s hand and sat up.</p><p>“What was that?” he asked.</p><p>“You tell us,” Grimmjow said. “You’ve never done something like that before.”</p><p>“We should get to Urahara’s,” Rukia said, looking around. “Grimmjow, can you open a portal here?”</p><p>Grimmjow stood up. “Yeah, I can take us to Karakura Town,” he said as he helped Ichigo to his feet. <br/>“I doubt Aizen will send anyone else immediately.”</p><p>Grimmjow opened the garganta, and they all filed through it, coming out over Karakura Town. Rukia and Karin led them all back to this Urahara’s place. As they got there, they were met by a man in a flowered shirt and another man wearing a green kusodo and hakama with a green and white striped bucket hat.</p><p>“You did it,” the one in the hat said. “You brought them both.”</p><p>“Yeah, but we had to fight a few Arrancar before we got here,” Karin said.</p><p>Rukia grabbed Ichigo by the arm and pulled him forward, getting a glare from Grimmjow as she did it. “This is Ichigo.”</p><p>The man in the flowered shirt came forward. “It is you.”</p><p>“Who are you?” Ichigo asked, frowning because this man looked and felt familiar to him somehow.</p><p>“I’m your father,” he said.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. New World, New Rules</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ichigo wasn’t sure how to respond, so for a moment, he didn’t. He just stared at him. He had a real father. Not someone like Aizen who controlled him. But what did it even mean to have a father? He didn’t really know for sure. He felt Grimmjow put an arm around him, and he was grateful for that small gesture of comfort from the Espada of Destruction. He swallowed thickly and nodded. He supposed he should be honest.</p><p>“I don’t know what that even means,” he said slowly.</p><p>He saw the immediate reaction on this man’s face. His eyes slightly widened, and his brow crinkled but he didn’t say anything. Ichigo felt bad, though, and he quickly added, “But I want to.”</p><p>“Ichigo, Grimmjow,” Karin said, stepping forward. “This is Isshin Kurosaki. Our father, Ichigo. And he’s a Shinigami.”</p><p>Ichigo looked at Grimmjow. His father was a Shinigami? So, did that make him one, too? Curious, he thought.</p><p>“And this is Kisuke Urahara,” Karin continued, indicating the man in the hat. “He’s been my first teacher as a Shinigami and helps us a lot. He knows a lot about the hogyuku and what it can do.”</p><p>“Actually, I invented one of them, Aizen invented the other in tandem. Now, he has both and has combined them, no doubt.” Urahara looked a little bothered by this.</p><p>“The hogyuku? Yeah, he wanted to use it on me again,” Ichigo said, nodding.</p><p>“Again? So, he did use it to separate your soul from your body when you were a toddler,” Isshin said.</p><p>“Here, let’s not talk out here,” Urahara said. “We’ll go into the basement where we can be shielded from Aizen’s prying eyes.”</p><p>With that, everyone was ushered inside and down into Urahara’s basement. Ichigo was amazed at the place, not imagining such a space in this place at all. Grimmjow remained nearby, and Ichigo had to wonder if he’d hold his hand if he asked him to. He shook the thought away. He didn’t need such things. Urahara set up a tent of some sort with a low table inside it, and everyone crowded into it. It was snug, but comfortable. Ichigo put himself right up against Grimmjow, and to his surprise, Grimmjow did reach out and take his hand.</p><p>“Now, that’s more comfortable,” Urahara said as he sat down and looked around. “So, the question is where are we now?”</p><p>“We left Aizen, but there are Espada left behind that are on our side. They will attempt to impede things on that end,” Grimmjow explained. “Ulquiorra, Starrk, and Nnoitra will do everything they can to keep Aizen at bay until they can be reunited with Ichigo.”</p><p>Isshin looked a bit confused but didn’t say anything about the way Grimmjow put things. “Are any of the others likely to be on our side.”</p><p>“Tier Harribel will side with us, after what Aizen did, her and her fraccion will be with us,” Grimmjow said.</p><p>“I don’t understand. What did Aizen do?” Urahara said, frowning.</p><p>“Yeah, you said that in Las Noches. That he’d done something terrible. You never explained it,” Karin said, looking over at them.</p><p>“Don’t worry about that detail!” Ichigo snapped, face reddening as he shook his head. He didn’t want to talk about that. His nightmares were enough. He didn’t need to relive it in front of what amounted to a bunch of strangers.</p><p>Everyone exchanged a look, but Grimmjow squeezed his hand. He felt like he was almost okay, and then someone brought it up again.</p><p>“Ah, well, another interesting thing happened. Ichigo managed a Getsuga Tenshō,” Karin said, glancing over at Isshin. “That’s something only a Shinigami should be able to do, right?”</p><p>Urahara looked at Isshin. “Could it have passed to him, as well?”</p><p>“It had to. There’s no other way to manifest that power,” Isshin said staring across the table at Ichigo.</p><p>“That thing that happened when I made that arc of light?” Ichigo asked.</p><p>“Yeah, that’s a Getsuga Tenshō. It’s a special attack only handed down through our family can do,” Karin explained. “So, that means you could be a Shinigami, too.”</p><p>“But how can that be? I’m an Arrancar?” he asked, looking around.</p><p>“Are you, really?” Grimmjow said from beside him, looking over. “Think about it. You don’t have a hollow hole. You never had a mask fragment. And you don’t have a resurrección. Other than the markings on your face, there’s no real indication you are one.”</p><p>“Aizen said I was a failed Arrancar,” he whispered, sounding almost as hollow as the thought made him feel.</p><p>“Maybe, but he may have succeeded at creating a Shinigami out of you,” Urahara said. “Let’s find out. Uryū, Orihime, Chad, why don’t you all head home. This will take some time, and I can let you know what is happening. Rukia, Renji, you should report back about what’s happening to Soul Society. Karin, you and Isshin can stay here and help me with Ichigo.”</p><p>Everyone dispersed, and left Ichigo with them. He didn’t know what the plan was, but he was curious to see if he actually could have the powers of a Shinigami since he didn’t really have all the powers of an Arrancar. He had a sonido, though. So, he supposed that was something of it. Ichigo sat at the table and wondered where this would lead.</p><p>“Your weapon,” Urahara said, nodding to him after everyone left. “Does it have a name?”</p><p>Ichigo blinked, pulling out the black bladed katana. “Name?”</p><p>“That’s what I thought,” Urahara said, sighing. “Have you ever been to your inner world? Even briefly?”</p><p>Ichigo frowned. “I mean, in my dreams, sometimes, there’s this place, where everything is sideways. Really strange, because they look like buildings that Gin has told me about in the World of the Living.”</p><p>“Interesting. Perhaps a glimpse into your inner world,” Urahara mused. “Let’s see if you can’t access it. Lay your blade across your lap and put your hands on it. Then just concentrate on it.”</p><p>“What’ll that do, isn’t it just a blade? It doesn’t do what the Arrancar’s blades do and seal their resurrección. I’ve tried everything to do that. It manifested at some point, but I don’t remember when. It just kinda was always there.” Ichigo did as he said, though, laying the blade across his white clad legs and putting his hands flat on it. “Now what?” he asked, looking up to Urahara.</p><p>“Concentrate on the blade. More than that, connect with it. The blade, if it is a Zanpakutō, will be a part of your soul, and will resonate with your spiritual energies. It should take you to your inner world, where the spirit of your Zanpakutō resides.” Urahara nodded, glancing at the others present.</p><p>Ichigo nodded and closed his eyes. He let out a breath and wondered if this would work. He knew that the blade was special, but he could never really put his finger on how or why. This, he supposed would be a test. After a few minutes, nothing seemed to be happening, and he thought about giving up. Maybe he wasn’t a Shinigami either. Maybe he was nothing.</p><p>
  <em>Shut the fuck up. </em>
</p><p>He nearly opened his eyes, but that was a voice in his head, not outside it. He felt his heartbeat faster in his chest and everything seemed to go into a void for a moment. He blinked, opening his eyes and finding himself on the side of a building. He looked around, seeming to stand perfectly fine on this sideways world.</p><p>“You’ve arrived.”</p><p>He turned to see a man with dark hair standing on the end of a pole that stuck out of the building straight up in the air. He swallowed.</p><p>“Who are you?” Ichigo asked.</p><p>“You already know my name,” he said cryptically.</p><p>“Does he?” another voice, the first one he’d heard, intoned.</p><p>He glanced down below the dark-haired figure and saw a completely white copy of himself, only in what looked like a white Shinigami uniform. The eyes were black with gold irises. He came toward him.</p><p>“Do you know what we are, idiot?” he said. “You can’t name us. And you certainly can’t handle the power we give you. You already showed that from a pitiful Getsuga Tenshō. You passed the fuck out.”</p><p>Ichigo blinked, used to course language because of Grimmjow and Nnoitra, but to hear it from what looked like his own mouth, it was strange. Ichigo stared at him, a part of him starting to understand, and a name echoed around his mind, but it just was outside his hearing. Was that the name of this entity?</p><p>“I know it.” He looked up at the older man. “I know I do. I just can’t hear it.”</p><p>The older man nodded. “You have to listen.”</p><p>“I’m trying!” Ichigo stated.</p><p>“Not hard enough, idiot,” the white copy said, narrowing his strange eyes at him, then stepping forward.</p><p>Ichigo flinched back a little but his fingers moved to trace where the red marks were left on Ichigo’s face. “I’ve made a mark on you already. It’s time for you to take hold of us. Both of us.” He sighed a little and stepped back away from him.</p><p>“Both of you?” Ichigo said.</p><p>“There’s more to you than you know. Your bloodline is strong in the ways of the Shinigami, but also in the ways of the Quincy,” the older one said, appearing beside the white one.</p><p>Ichigo was unfamiliar with that word, so it didn’t mean much to him. “I still don’t understand. That Urahara said something about a Zanpakutō spirit being here, why are there two of you?”</p><p>“He’s still not gettin’ it,” the white one said, looking at the other one. “He’s still not listenin’ yet.”</p><p>“I’m trying!” Ichigo said, getting frustrated. “I really am, it’s just this is all so new, and now that I’ve found some part of myself I didn’t know, I’m confused!”</p><p>The white one stepped forward again and cupped Ichigo’s face. “Yer not at fault. Fuckin’ Aizen is. Otherwise, I would have forced the issue long ago.”</p><p>“Long ago?” Ichigo echoed. “How long have you been here?”</p><p>“Always, Ichigo. Always,” he said, nodding.</p><p>“So, you know…” he trailed off.</p><p>“Of course, I know. We know. We’re you, Ichigo. We know everything you do, and then some,” the old man said softly. “Realize this and listen to our name.”</p><p>Ichigo nodded, closing his eyes, still feeling the hand on his face. His heart was racing though. He didn’t know what to think about being near someone that knew himself better than he did, but it was freeing in a way. If they knew him that well, maybe Urahara was right.</p><p>“You’ve got to listen,” the old man said and Ichigo nodded again, not saying anything.</p><p>It took everything he had to open his mind and his heart. He let go of everything holding him back for that moment. He let go of Aizen’s words and deeds. He let go of everything that he thought made a difference. He listened.</p><p>“Zangetsu,” he whispered, opening his eyes to see the white one had stepped back next to the old man.</p><p>“Good. Now, rest, and return when you are able,” the old man said.</p><p>Ichigo’s eyes flew open, and he heaved a deep breath.</p><p>“Ichigo?” he heard Grimmjow say.</p><p>Ichigo blinked and he looked over to see Grimmjow lounging beside him on the floor. No one else was there.</p><p>“Grimm?” he said, still shaking off the feeling of being in his inner world.</p><p>“Yeah, ya been sittin’ there for like six hours. I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to come back,” Grimmjow said, moving over to sit beside him on the floor. “What happened?”</p><p>“I met both Zangetsu,” he said, blinking again as tears tried to form in his eyes.</p><p>That was when he realized something. There were two hilts under his hand when he felt for the hilt of the sword. There were two blades now, a long one like before, but on top of it was a shorter blade. He lifted it and looked at Grimmjow.</p><p>“Well, that’s interestin’,” Grimmjow said. “The others all left, told me to keep an eye on ya until you came back. They’re coming back in the morning.”</p><p>Ichigo nodded. “I’m surprised they left us on our own.”</p><p>“That Urahara said that this place was safe cuz he built it to be that way. He made it invisible to Shinigami and he’s been able to hide from Aizen for over a hundred years before now. That girl didn’t want to go, but that father of yours convinced her it was for the best since no one knew how long you’d be in there.” Grimmjow sighed, looking at him.</p><p>Ichigo got to his feet, taking Zangetsu with him to the back of the tent they were in. There was a small table there and he laid the two blades down on it. He gasped a little as Grimmjow came up behind him and wrapped his arms around him.</p><p>“Don’t tell me you were worried,” Ichigo said, placing his hands on Grimmjow’s arms.</p><p>“Course I was worried, idiot Ichigo,” Grimmjow grumbled as he nuzzled into Ichigo’s hair.</p><p>Ichigo reached up and ran a hand through Grimmjow’s hair and hummed. “That’s unusual, don’t you think? For you to worry like that?”</p><p>“I dunno, don’t care, come here, I wanna do somethin’,” Grimmjow said, nipping Ichigo’s neck with his teeth.</p><p>Grimmjow pulled away, then pulled Ichigo by the arm into the next room of the tent. It looked like it was set up to be a room to relax in with some pallets and pillows laying around. Ichigo thought it almost looked like something out of Starrk’s rooms. He frowned, worrying about the others and wishing they were here as well as Grimmjow. Strange, he thought as Grimmjow pulled him down into the pillows.</p><p>“Should we do this here? Now?” Ichigo asked.</p><p>“Why not? We’ve got time before morning gets here,” Grimmjow said, untying Ichigo’s obi and sliding the hakama off his hips.</p><p>Ichigo didn’t argue that fact, as he was already getting in the mood for whatever Grimmjow had planned. “Alright,” he said as Grimmjow nibbled at his neck, causing him to sigh deeply.</p><p>“Over,” Grimmjow instructed after a few minutes of mauling his neck wet.</p><p>Ichigo just assumed he wanted to take him from behind. That wouldn’t be too unusual, and he was a little curious as to why he seemed to want to do itmso badly. Then, he felt him get down between his legs, and he jerked as he licked a stripe up the backside of his balls. That was new. He flexed his legs around Grimmjow, and he continued to lick up across his perinium and to his hole. Ichigo’s eyes bulged a little when he swiped his tongue around the rim and began to probe him in earnest.</p><p>“Wh-what are you doing?” he gasped, grabbing onto a pillow and squeezing it.</p><p>“Shut up, and lie there,” Grimmjow growled, sliding a finger inside him and then pulling it out to lap with his tongue again.</p><p>Ichigo didn’t know how to react to this whole situation. He began pressing harder with his tongue, slipping inside and wriggling around in a way that made him squirm on the mound of pillows.</p><p>“Oh, oh that’s…” he gasped, arms tightening around the pillows. He couldn’t even really articulate what he was feeling.</p><p>Grimmjow began stroking him slowly, almost languidly, as he continued to tongue his entrance. Ichigo hummed loudly into his fist as he continued, using his fingers now and then to thrust into him and around the rim. Ichigo felt tears from the intensity of what he was sensing. It was almost too much for him as he felt the muscles in his thighs twitch. Grimmjow forced his tongue into him deeply, making him moan deeply and rather loudly before he pulled back, slipping a couple fingers into him and striking out for his sweet spot. He fumbled for a second, obviously not used to doing things in this manner, but he brushed the bundle of nerves, sending shivers down Ichigo’s spine as he moaned and felt himself leak profusely.</p><p>“That seems like a good spot,” Grimmjow said out loud, thrusting his fingers in again and trying to find it again.</p><p>“You’re gonna make me come,” Ichigo gasped. “Fuck me already!”</p><p>Grimmjow chuckled, pulling his fingers out and rustling with his clothes for a second. He then pressed his hardness against Ichigo and teased him a little with it. Ichigo was a mewling mess, as he just wanted him to do it. After a few seconds, though, Grimmjow pressed forward, breeching him slowly, almost lovingly, sliding in steadily.</p><p>“Oh, you feel good,” he said as he held to Ichigo’s hips.</p><p>“Yeah, it feels too good,” Ichigo said, pressing back on him as he finally seated himself fully.</p><p>Neither of them heard the sound of someone approaching, so when the flap of the tent moved, they didn’t notice. Grimmjow continued to fuck him, holding tight to his hips, without really paying attention to anything else. The tent flap dropped after a few moments, and Karin stepped back, a little surprised by what she had just seen. She decided to leave them be until morning, heading back up to Urahara’s shop and the room she’d been staying in for the night.</p><p>She was still processing her feelings on what she’d seen when there was a knock at the door. She looked up.</p><p>“Enter,” she said.</p><p>The door slid open, and she saw it was Urahara. “You’re up awful late,” he said.</p><p>She felt her cheeks heat a little. “Yeah, I went down to see Ichigo, but he and Grimmjow were busy.”</p><p>Urahara arched a brow. “Busy? Doing what?” he asked, looking a bit confused.</p><p>She looked up and sighed. “It would seem they have a bit of a, ah, relationship, if you know what I mean,” she said, trying not to outright say what she’d seen.</p><p>Urahara nodded. “Ah, yes. Orihime mentioned that Ichigo was sexually active with several of the Espada.”</p><p>“Several?” Karin said, looking up at him. “Not just Grimmjow?”</p><p>“No, it seems he has been involved with them for some time, from what he said. He has no qualms about talking about it. If you were to ask, I’m sure he would explain it to you,” Urahara shrugged. “Does this bother you?”</p><p>Karin blinked, looking at him. “I mean, it’s his choice,” she said. “And they do make a cute couple,” she admitted.</p><p>Urahara smiled. “You’re a good sister. Now, get some sleep.”</p><p>She nodded, “You’re right. I’ll talk to him in the morning.”</p><p>-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-</p><p>Ichigo woke up tangled in Grimmjow’s arms, still half undressed and covered with a light blanket they’d found in the tent. He pulled himself out of the snug warmth, shaking Grimmjow to wake him up. He grumbled but sat up.</p><p>“What?” he growled.</p><p>“We should get dressed. They’ll be coming down to see us soon,” he told him.</p><p>Grimmjow sighed, nodding and getting to his feet to find his own hakama that he’d discarded at some point the night before. Ichigo found his clothes and got into them, and just as he tied his obi, he heard voices nearing them. He looked up as Urahara stuck his head in.</p><p>“Are you awake?” he asked, smiling from under his hat.</p><p>“We just got up,” Grimmjow said.</p><p>“Well, come on, then,” Urahara said and disappeared out the tent.</p><p>“Let’s go,” Ichigo said, smiling and grabbing Grimmjow by the hand.</p><p>Grimmjow took his hand, not saying anything, and they went out to find Isshin, Karin, and Urahara all standing together waiting on them. They came up and no one had anything to say about them holding hands.</p><p>“I would guess you were successful meeting your Zanpakutō spirit in your inner world?” Isshin said, looking at him seriously.</p><p>Ichigo nodded. “They said their name was Zangetsu.”</p><p>“They?” Urahara said.</p><p>“There’s two of them. One looks like an older man with sunglasses, and the other looks like a white version of me, though he wears a white Shinigami uniform instead of this,” Ichigo said. “And when I woke up, I had two blades.”</p><p>“Two blades?” Isshin said, looking over at Urahara. “None of us have been dual wielders before.”</p><p>“It could be the true form of his Zanpakutō is twin blades.” Urahara looked over at Karin. “But for now, we should work on some training for Ichigo, since he’s got a new set of powers to get used to. And we should find out if he can use the vizard mask.”</p><p>Ichigo looked at him. “Vizard mask?” he asked.</p><p>“Our Zanpakutō spirits are hollowified,” she said, reaching up to her face and making a white mask appear before she dismissed it.</p><p>“I wonder if that will work for me,” Ichigo said, frowning. “Since I seem to be partially hollow already.”</p><p>“Go get your Zanpakutō and we’ll find out.” Urahara smiled at him.</p><p>Ichigo went into the tent to the table and retrieved the two black blades, feeling something strange now when he touched them. It was as tough knowing the name of the Zanpakutō made a huge difference in how he related to the weapons. He came back out, holding one in each hand, the shorter one in the left and the longer one in the right.</p><p>“Fascinating,” Urahara said, looking him over. “Now, you and Karin can spar so I can assess your ability.”</p><p>Ichigo nodded, hefting the sword in his left hand. He’d fought two handed a time or two, but mostly he was used to using one hand. He knew the basics, though, so he got into a stance and she did the same.</p><p>“Alright, begin,” Urahara said.</p><p>Ichigo engaged her with all the ferocity he’d been taught to fight with, catching her a bit off guard, forcing her back a few steps quickly. She frowned but stepped into the fight, seeing that Ichigo was going to go full out at her. They exchanged blows back and forth a few times, with Ichigo mostly keeping the upper hand. Urahara watched from the side but didn’t say anything for a while. Finally, he stepped up.</p><p>“Okay, enough,” he said, and Karin stepped back.</p><p>Ichigo hesitated but stepped back as well, breathing a little heavily from the exertion. “Was that okay?” he asked.</p><p>“It’s obvious you’ve been taught to fight in a very offensive manner,” Urahara noted, glancing over at Grimmjow. “I take it that he’s sparred with the other Arrancar since he was young?”</p><p>“Yeah, we taught ‘im. He’s been fighting with the blade since he was like twelve or so. We never went easy on him, even if he was small,” Grimmjow shrugged. “He got his ass beat a lot in the beginning, but he got better.”</p><p>“I see,” Urahara said, looking thoughtful. “Well, I think some defensive training might be in order, and perhaps some style to help give him some structured stances.”</p><p>“What about that thing? The Getsuga thing?” Ichigo asked.</p><p>“First, let’s concentrate on fixing the holes in your swordplay. You are very good at offensive tactics and raw power, but you could use some defensive tactics as well as some more versatile stances,” Urahara noted. “You’re fast, but if we want to make things smoother.”</p><p>“How about that hollow mask thing?” Ichigo asked, frowning. “You think I can do that?”</p><p>“That’s something you will have to acquire from your hollow Zanpakutō spirit. Or, spirits, in your case,” Urahara said with a nod.</p><p>Ichigo nodded. “Shinigami have a second release, right?”</p><p>“Yeah, Bankai,” Karin said, nodding. “You don’t get that quickly, though. I had to learn it through a special process that Urahara created to speed it up.”</p><p>“Yeah, I wanna do that,” Ichigo said, looking at Urahara.</p><p>Urahara looked at him in return. “That may take longer than you think. Bankai isn’t just given to you. You have to earn it from your Zanpakutō.”</p><p>“I will get Bankai, and the hollow mask. I’ll need both because Aizen will be coming, and I have to be ready,” he said with a definitive nod.</p><p>The others exchanged a look, but Grimmjow grinned. He knew Ichigo would do just that, despite the challenges that doing so would cause. He was sure Ichigo could do it.</p>
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